Democrat gov rails against 'setback' after judge blocks eliminating cash bail An Illinois judge has ruled that the portion of the SAFE-T Act that ends cash bail in the state is unconstitutional. The Illinois Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today (SAFE-T) Act sought to change multiple parts of Illinois' justice system with provisions like ending cash bail, limiting how judges determine whether defendants are flight risks, and allowing defendants under electronic monitoring to leave home for 48 hours before they can be charged with escape. The ruling from a Kankakee County judge on Wednesday came after 65 Illinois counties challenged the law in a hearing last week. The legislation, which Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law last year, takes effect Jan. 1, but according to the Kankakee County State's Attorney, the ruling from the judge means that the pre-trial release and bail reforms that are part of the law will not take effect in those counties next month. The ruling does not, however, affect other counties in the state that were not a part of the legal challenge to the law, including the state's most populous Cook County, which includes Chicago. The portion of the law deemed unconstitutional by the judge would have allowed judges in the state to decide whether defendants pose a risk to public safety and could be released from jail without posting cash bail.